The start of Jobs' professional turnaround. Photo: Ben Stanfield/Flickr CC

November 29, 1995: Capitalizing on the success of Toy Story, Pixar floats 6.9 million shares on the stock market. The IPO makes Steve Jobs, whoowns upward of 80 percent of the company, a billionaire for the first time.

After the windfall, one of the first people Jobs calls is his friend Larry Ellison, already a member of the billionaire’s club.

Toy Story 2 coincided with the start of Jobs' own career second act. Photo: Pixar

November 24, 1999: Steve Jobs gets another feather in his cap when Toy Story 2, the sequel to the original 1995 Pixar hit, debuts in theaters — becoming the first animated sequel in history to gross more than the original.

While more a piece of Steve Jobs history than Apple history, the release of Toy Story 2 caps off a spectacular year for Apple’s CEO.